Alumni Code of Conduct

Our community of artists and designers has a collective responsibility to uphold these values, ensuring all members of the RISD community feel a sense of belonging, safety and purpose in any shared space we hold.

We hope that all members of the RISD community take responsibility for sustaining the high ethical standards of the school and that all students and alumni feel they are welcome at RISD activities in any way in which they choose to participate. To this end, alumni volunteers and participants and their non-alumni guests are expected to abide by the following tenets of our code of conduct when engaging with any RISD offering, activity, or communication. RISD reserves the right to restrict access to the community or related events for good reason, such as when actions or behaviors defame, abuse or threaten others.

We invite all volunteers, attendees, local community members, and other participants to support a positive experience for everyone.

The expectations expressed below apply to attendees of all RISD alumni events, on campus and off campus.

Expected behavior

Be considerate and respectful of all people and property while on RISD’s campus or at a RISD-sponsored event.
Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants. Alert staff or event organizers if you have a concern.

Unacceptable behavior

• Unacceptable behavior includes intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct by any attendees at alumni events.
• Harassment may include offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity/ethnic origin, age, religion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.
• Other unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to deliberate intimidation, stalking, photographing or recording an individual against their wishes, and disruption of talks or other events.

Consequences of unacceptable behavior

• Attendees, organizers, staff, volunteers, sponsors, or other campus community members will not tolerate unacceptable behavior.
• Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior must comply immediately or will be asked to leave the event and may be restricted from future events.
• If a participant engages in unacceptable behavior, RISD staff and administration may take any action deemed appropriate, up to and including expulsion from RISD events and online communities without warning or refund.
• RISD staff may immediately remove any attendee from an event if staff determine that the attendee is creating health or safety concerns, threatening RISD property, interfering with other attendees’ enjoyment of the event, or for other good cause.

Drugs and Alcohol

RISD expects responsible use of alcohol and respect for everyone attending RISD-affiliated events.

• Everyone is expected to consume responsibly and at all times to respect college or venue property, staff and all event participants.
• Alcohol at RISD events must be served in compliance with the college’s alcohol service standards by TIPS (or regional equivalent) trained servers who carry the required insurance.
• No person may purchase or provide alcohol to any attendee under the age of 21.
• No attendee under the age of 21 may consume alcohol at any time during a RISD event.
• In accordance with federal and state laws, the use or possession of other illicit substances is not permitted on campus or at RISD regional events.

Safety and Health

Weapons of any description, fireworks, and any other incendiaries are not permitted at any RISD event.

Scope

We expect all participants (volunteers, staff, student rangers, speakers, attendees, and other guests) to abide by this code of conduct at all RISD events.

Online Community Standards

RISD’s digital platforms are meant to inform about news and events happening on campus, celebrate successes and achievements in our alumni community, and create a space for online communities to share their interests and experiences. Our digital platforms include social media, websites, discussion boards and other digital spaces. These online communities may include unmoderated forums containing personal opinions of alumni and content on a wide range of topics. Participants in online communities may not represent or imply that their opinions represent those of RISD.

Additionally, by using or engaging with any RISD digital platform, community members agree to the above and to comport themselves respectfully and appropriately. We welcome all viewpoints as long as the tone of the discussion is respectful. Communications that defame or threaten others or are bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive are not acceptable.

Prohibited conduct includes:

• Posting content that defames, abuses, or threatens others
• Posting harassing materials (such as racially or sexually charged material)
• Posting statements that are bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive, or that promote bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive behavior
• Posting content that advocates illegal activity
• Posting images of minors without parental consent
• Posting spam
• Posting information one knows to be factually erroneous or misleading
• Posting political ads or solicitation of support for any political candidate
• Copyrighted material, including without limitation software, graphics, text, photographs, sound, video, and musical recordings, may not be placed on digital offerings without the express permission of the owner of the copyright of the material, or other legal entitlement to use the material. Any person posting material protected by copyright for the benefit of any third-party represents and warrants consent or permission has been obtained to post such materials.

*Examples include but are not limited to: RISD Network Groups + Alumni Directory, RISD Alumni LinkedIn groups, and club, class, and RISD Alumni Facebook pages.

What to do if you witness or are subject to unacceptable behavior

If you are subjected to unacceptable behavior by an attendee, please contact a RISD staff member or an event organizer for assistance. If no RISD staff member is available, please inform the Office of Alumni + Family Relations at alumni@risd.edu / 401 709-8585.

If you are witness to or involved directly in an emergency situation, please contact 911 or if on campus, public safety at 401 454-6666.

Report online activities on the platform directly, and send a screenshot of the offense to alumni@risd.edu.